Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) Stock: Insider William Thees, Jr. Sells 217 Shares

Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG) COO William Thees, Jr. sold 217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.63, for a total transaction of $47,876.71. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,141,793.10. The trade was a 0.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ferguson Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of FERG opened at $231.42 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $228.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.14. Ferguson plc has a 12-month low of $212.13 and a 12-month high of $271.64.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Ferguson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Ferguson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FERG. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,789,368,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Ferguson by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,981,791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,331,621,000 after acquiring an additional 434,650 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its position in Ferguson by 613.8% in the 2nd quarter. Man Group plc now owns 401,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,263,000 after acquiring an additional 345,165 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 43.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,029,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,234,000 after acquiring an additional 312,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of Ferguson by 9.2% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,868,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,809,000 after acquiring an additional 240,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Ferguson from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Ferguson from $280.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $295.00 price target on Ferguson in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ferguson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.78.

Ferguson News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferguson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ferguson’s most recent quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $3.39 versus the $3.23 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $285.78, well above recent trading levels, which may support investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to offer shareholder returns through its quarterly dividend, equivalent to $3.56 annually and a yield of approximately 1.6%. Ferguson also retains strong profitability, including a reported 37.24% return on equity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several Ferguson executives and insiders reported stock sales during the week, including COO William Thees Jr., VP Anthony Camposano, Ian Graham, Jake Schlicher, Allison Stirrup and Kevin Murphy. The reported transactions involved thousands of shares and several million dollars in aggregate proceeds. Ferguson insider trading report
• Neutral Sentiment: All of the disclosed sales were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. That reduces their significance as a signal that management expects Ferguson’s business or valuation to weaken, particularly because the sellers retained substantial positions.
• Negative Sentiment: The concentration of insider selling could nevertheless create modest near-term pressure on sentiment and may limit the stock’s upside, especially with Ferguson trading below its 200-day moving average.

About Ferguson

Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG) is a North American distributor of plumbing and heating products, supplying professional customers across the residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure markets. The company serves contractors, builders, remodelers, municipalities, industrial businesses and other trade professionals through branch locations, distribution centers and digital ordering platforms.

Its product offerings include plumbing supplies and fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, water and wastewater products, fire protection systems, waterworks materials, industrial piping and related maintenance, repair and operating supplies.